Unexpected is how Ishaan Khatter describes Homebound’s selection as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards 2026. When the announcement was made on September 19, the actor was miles away, flying from the US to India.

“I got the news on the flight WiFi. Immediately, messages started popping up on my phone. It was the first time in two years that Neeraj [Ghaywan, director] gave me gaalis because I was not answering my phone,” he laughs, before adding, “When I landed, the first person I called was him and then my mom [Neelima Azim].”

Ghaywan’s directorial venture, also starring Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, tells the story of a deep friendship between two men from marginalized communities against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. As has become the norm almost every year, this year’s selection for the Oscar entry too has sparked debate. Shutting out the noise, Khatter stands strong behind his movie.

“The film talks of unity, empathy, compassion, and that message coming from India is beautiful because we find unity in diversity. That is the idea of India I subscribe to. We aren’t telling stories of the hinterland, which forms 90 per cent of our population. The idea of making this film was to humanize these people whom we often see as statistics or overlook. Also, I’ve seen its universal appeal in the way audiences reacted to it at Cannes Film Festival and TIFF [Toronto International Film Festival].”

It’s noteworthy how the actor went from playing a prince in The Royals earlier this year to a labourer from an Uttar Pradesh village in Homebound. Though Khatter comes from a privileged background, he says he could connect with his character because of his wide exposure.

“As a middle-class Indian, you’re exposed to different cultural and social elements; you are able to expand your worldview as you fraternise with all classes of society. So when I played Mohammed Shoaib Ali, it wasn’t a culture shock. We all saw the migrant crisis during the pandemic and we all did what we could to help, but there is an urban apathy.”

While Homebound has received an outpouring of love from the world over, Khatter reveals that his half-brother Shahid Kapoor hasn’t caught it yet. “Shahid is shooting in Sicily. He is feeling bad that everyone, except him, has seen the film. I told him not to discuss the film with anybody till he watches it. He is very proud [of the Oscar entry].”

A telling sign of the movie’s merit perhaps was when Martin Scorsese came on board as its executive producer. Ishaan Khatter is understandably overwhelmed to have the legend associated with ‘Homebound’.

“I didn’t have the fortune to meet Mr Martin Scorsese, Neeraj [Ghaywan] interacted with him. He is arguably the greatest living filmmaker. That he came on board speaks of his deep passion for cinema. He was an admirer of Neeraj’s ‘Masaan’ [2015] and ‘Geeli Pucchi’ [2021]. He wanted to present ‘Masaan’, so that circle is complete with ‘Homebound’,” says Khatter.

Vishal Jethwa had one of the biggest moments of his career recently as he got to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival as his film Homebound, co-starring Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, premiered at the festival. Calling it a “surreal” feeling, the actor admits that he was nervous and scared before going to the French Riviera.

“I was worried about how I would present myself. Sab log wahan itni achchi English bolenge, main kahin left-out naa feel karoon. I had a lot of nervous excitement. But once I got there, I don’t know what magic happened, I felt so confident. Apart from my clothes, I was wearing my confidence. For those five minutes on the red carpet, I was living my dream,” he says.

Vishal’s outfit at the red carpet also came in limelight and the actor insists it added a layer of confidence. “Mere woh outfit pehente hi logon ka nazariya badal gaya. With Mardaani 2 (2019), I made my acting debut, but with this, I made my fashion debut. The golden shoulders felt like they were my wings, and I was flying,” he says.

The film received a good reception at the screening, including a nine-minute standing ovation, and Vishal gets emotional remembering that.

“Everyone was crying, and they were happy tears. I touched Neeraj (Ghaywan; director) sir’s feet and hugged Karan (Johar; filmmaker) sir for giving me this opportunity. We were crying because a standing ovation like that has to be earned. Aap use khareed nahin sakte,” he says, adding, “There were foreigners who were hugging each other and crying after watching the film. They came, shook my hand and even said ‘thank you’ to me. I felt very proud.”

Even before the premiere, Homebound had a big achievement, as American filmmaker Martin Scorsese came on board as an Executive Producer.

But Vishal shares, “I don’t watch many Hollywood films, and the ones I have watched were all his. So, when his name first came up, I asked, ‘Who he was’. But when people told me about his films, I realised the magnanimity of it. Just to know that a top global director knew my name was more than an award for me,” he gushes.

The actor was accompanied by his mother to Cannes, and he shares why it was so important for him: “People are supporting me now, but it was my mum who was always with me. They know me as actor Vishal Jethwa, but it was my mum who held my hand and took me to auditions. So, she deserves to live my success with me the most. My dream is to walk the red carpet of Cannes with my mum, and that’s yet to be fulfilled.”

Vishal also asserts that the Cannes experience strengthened his bond with co-stars Janhvi and Ishaan. “During filming, we were in character. But at Cannes, we got a chance to know each other. Janhvi and I had such different family and financial backgrounds growing up, but we share a comfortable zone, where we can talk about anything to each other. Even Ishaan and I dance together and have a lot of fun. I feel glad that I got to make my Cannes debut with them,” he ends.

Simi Garewal recently made her Cannes red carpet debut, more than five decades after shooting Aranyer Din Ratri. The Satyajit Ray classic was restored in 4K and screened at the Cannes Classics section.

“It’s something I never dared to hope for! I gave up that dream long ago and for this to suddenly happen now it’s more than a dream – it’s a gift from the universe,” she says. In a conversation, the veteran actress talks about the film, the roles for women in cinema and more.

Simi played Duli, a tribal woman in the Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) – a role that was far from her real-life image. But Satyajit Ray saw something in her. “Manik da, so gentle yet intense, led me to portray a character so different to who I am. I mean here was I, a modern, westernized girl transformed into a rustic, uninhibited adivasi! It doesn’t get more challenging than that,” she says.

She remembers watching the film again, decades later, and being shocked by how fully she had disappeared into Duli. “For an actor, it’s creative fulfillment to ‘become’ another person. When I watched the film I couldn’t see even a jhalak of Simi anywhere. It was Duli.” She adds, “I loved the film, the comedy, the slice of life. It looked so natural, so organic. But that’s Ray’s forte, capturing reality on celluloid.”

Simi says she has not watched too many recent films. “But I will ask – where are the roles for women in cinema?” she questions, adding, “It’s all male-oriented. The female is simply decorative, and always the hero’s sidekick. And that’s not representative of today’s India, where women are strong, independent and achievers in their own right. So, it seems cinema caters primarily to male audiences. The only roles for women are on OTT, and TV, with its serials, caters to women. A gender divide.”

Simi says that she’s currently working on her autobiography. “At the moment, I’m writing my autobiography. I am writing every single word myself. Nobody else has read it, nor looked over my shoulder while I write. It’s between my keyboard and me. It’s very personal. I haven’t held back. I’m on the last few chapters now, presently on Rendezvous With Simi Garewal. You will read everything about my life in my autobiography – from my childhood in London to my joining films (against great family opposition) Every detail about working with Raj Kapoor, Manik da, my films, my private life, my loves, my marriage – my whole life is written in these pages.”

Simi chose to wear her signature white at Cannes too. Talking about its significance in her life, the actress says, “Why white? I feel good when I’m wearing it. Sometimes I put on another colour, yellow or blue, and I immediately take it off because it disturbs my sensibility. White is a happy colour for me,” says Simi.

Her thoughts on walking the red carpet? “I wish Manik da was here to see this...”

(From left) Co-stars Simi Garewal and Sharmila Tagore ahead of Aranyer Din Ratri’s screening; (right) (From left) Wes Anderson with Sharmila Tagore at Cannes. Pics/Getty Images, AFP, Wikimedia Commons, Instagram

The thunderous applause, the standing ovation, and the pride she felt to be at the receiving end of it all. It’s a precious memory that Sharmila Tagore will keep close to her heart for a long time. “There was a standing ovation for a few minutes. People just clapped and clapped and clapped. We were getting tired of standing,” laughs Tagore, who returned only a few days ago from the special screening of Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

On May 20, a restored 4K version of late Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece was screened as part of the Cannes Classics section. Tagore and Simi Garewal, who had featured in the gem alongside late Soumitra Chatterjee, attended the event with noted American filmmaker Wes Anderson. Mention Anderson, who led Aranyer Din Ratri’s restoration and presented it at the film gala, and Tagore heaps praise on him. 

“He was so respectful about Satyajit Ray, interested in and well-informed about his films. He was curious to know what Soumitra and Ray were like. I felt silly because I was not as well-informed [about his latest movies] as he was about ours. I have seen The Grand Budapest Hotel [2014], but not Asteroid City [2023], or I would have asked him about it.”

The veteran actor is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival. After all, her 1960 movie Devi, directed by Ray, was in contention for the Palme d’Or at the 1962 edition of the prestigious film gala; in 2009, she was part of the festival’s jury. She is not surprised that this time too, it is Ray’s creation that has taken her back to the French Riviera.

Remembering the auteur who launched her in the movies, she says, “Sometime in the 1980s, I had interviewed Manik da [Ray] for Eyewitness [TV show]. When I asked him his favourite movies, he mentioned the Apu Trilogy, Charulata [1964], and Aranyer Din Ratri. Aranyer… was his first foray into contemporary cinema after his period films.”

It’s a privilege to have worked with Ray. Tagore knows she is among those fortunate few who had the privilege many times over. How was the legend at work? It’s a question, we’re sure, many asked her.

“I remember the scene in Aranyer… where my character shares that her mother had died in a forest. Before filming, Manik da came very close to me and read out that scene once. So, I did whatever he told me to do. As a director, he would read out the scene and then leave it to the actor to perform. If there was something he didn’t like in your performance, he would come very close to you and say, ‘Can you do it differently, please?’ We always got a lot of confidence seeing him behind the camera, looking at us. We knew he wouldn’t let us perform badly.”

Talking about Ray without mentioning Chatterjee is almost impossible. Tagore, who starred alongside the late Bengali actor in several films, must have missed him in Cannes. “Yes, and Rabi da [Rabi Ghosh, actor] too! I miss Soumitra continuously. He was one of my dearest friends, and he was not just a good actor; he could sing, write, and paint. He was truly a Renaissance man.”

With Cannes behind her, Tagore now hopes that Aranyer Din Ratri’s restored version is released in India. In fact, the veteran actor urges that the classics of Indian cinema be restored.

“If films are not restored, they will disappear. By restoring them, the new generation can see these films. I will request Shivendra Singh Dungarpur to make sure that Aranyer… is released in theatres across India.”

Actors usually put their best fashion foot forward to walk the red carpet, especially when it is for the Cannes Film Festival. Nitanshi Goel combined fashion with emotion as she made her debut at the festival with an homage to Madhubala, Rekha, Sridevi, and Hema Malini, among others. Goel, who rose to fame with her debut film Laapataa Ladies (2024), was seen sporting a pearl hair accessory (parandi) with frames of veteran actors created by jewellery brand BeAbhika.

Speaking to mid-day about the inspiration behind this gesture, she says the idea was to pay an homage that “felt personal yet celebratory”. “It came from love for the icons who’ve defined grace, strength, and cinematic brilliance in Indian cinema. Their presence has always felt timeless, and I wanted to carry their spirit with me to Cannes. These women walked so we could run,” beams Goel, who was part of the newly-inaugurated Bharat Pavilion — the government-backed platform at Cannes — aimed at promoting Indian cinema.

By representing India at the festival, her dream became a reality. She says, “I was there to celebrate our culture, stories, and the women who’ve shaped it so beautifully. The experience was filled with inspiration, heartfelt conversations, and warmth from people all over the world. I’ve returned with a heart full of gratitude.”

Still basking in the acclaim and accolades for Laapataa Ladies, Goel shares that the film’s glory is reflected in the offers she gets now. “The parts coming my way now are more layered and diverse. I feel ready to dive into stories that challenge me,” she says.

Nitanshi Goel holds her meeting with Rekha close to her heart. She shares that the yesteryear actor once told her, “Be patient with the journey, and protect your truth.”

In a cinematic crossover that no one could have anticipated, Sharmila Tagore will be joining acclaimed filmmaker Wes Anderson in presenting the restored version of her 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri ( Days and Nights in the Forest ) at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The idea to restore the Satyajit Ray classic, which has been selected for a premiere in the Cannes Classics Section, came from Anderson. He has always acknowledged the late filmmaker’s influence on his cinematic oeuvre.

In fact, Anderson’s last film, Asteroid City, starring Tom Hanks, features an entire segment on stargazing that was inspired by Ray’s film. In an interview, Anderson was quoted saying, “We stole that (segment) absolutely wholesale from Satyajit Ray’s Days And Nights In The Forest. It’s a great movie. If that movie had a genre, it would be whatever genre The Darjeeling Limited is in. These guys (characters) get in a car and go off somewhere together, and they discover things.”

​When Anderson, who is also a board member of Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation (TFF), suggested restoring the film in 2019, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and his Film Heritage Foundation stepped in to access the original camera and sound negatives, and initiate the restoration process. After four years of pandemic-induced delays between Mumbai, Calcutta, and Italy, the film was finally restored in 4K at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. The primary elements used for the restoration were the original camera and sound negatives. Producer Purnima Dutta said, “The film will certainly spark conversations at the festival.”

​Speaking about the film, Anderson said, “Anything signed by Ray must be cherished and preserved; but the nearly-forgotten Days And Nights In The Forest is a special/ particular gem... made in 1970. Modern and novelistic. Ray worked in terrain perhaps more familiar to Cassavetes. A clash/negotiation between castes, sexes. Urbans and rurals. Selfish men and their hopes and cruelties and spectacular lack of wisdom. Women who see through them. The great Soumitra Chatterjee: lost but searching. The great Sharmila Tagore: mysterious, cerebral, mesmerizing. From the master, another masterpiece.”

​Aranyer Din Ratri is a film about four young men from Calcutta, driving together for a few days in the country, and the women they meet.

Talking about the film, Tagore says, “I remember I was shooting for Aradhana when Manik da approached me to shoot for this film for a month at a stretch. It was incredibly hot during the shoot and we could only shoot in the mornings and late afternoons. I have wonderful memories of the time spent with my co-actors and Manik da’s precision, especially in the way he shot the memory game sequence, was incredible. I can’t wait to watch the restored film. Aranyer Din Ratri is a contemporary film that I know will resonate with new audiences across the world even today.”

Sharmila Tagore on Cannes Jury in 2009, inset, a still from her film Aranyer Din Ratri

On May 14, mid-day reported that Alia Bhatt decided to skip the opening ceremony of the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, owing to the sensitive situation in India in the aftermath of its conflict with Pakistan (Cannes calling, May 14). With the French Riviera out of her itinerary at the moment, the actor is focusing on Love & War, helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. We have learnt that Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Vicky Kaushal began shooting their combination scenes in Film City’s Joker Maidan earlier this week.

A source close to the production revealed, “A major schedule began this week with the three leads. While Sanjay sir kicked off the project last October, this is the first time that Ranbir, Alia, and Vicky are shooting together. It will be an intense few days of filming, with the director crafting some of the most emotionally demanding scenes in this leg.” Another insider shared that elaborate sets have been built for this schedule that will run throughout this week.

With Bhatt’s portions expected to be wrapped up by the weekend, the actor is likely to make an appearance at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on May 24.

A source shared, “As the ambassador for a leading beauty brand, Alia remains committed to her global representation duties. She will head to France in the last leg of the prestigious film gala, after this critical phase of Love & War’s shoot is wrapped up.”

Actor Ishaan Khatter is loving this phase of his career. While his web series is scheduled to release in a few days, his film Homebound with actors Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa was recently selected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 in the Un Certain Regard category.

To add to the excitement, legendary Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese has also come aboard the Neeraj Ghaywan directorial as an executive producer.

The 29-year-old says, “There’s nothing more wonderful than someone like Mr Scorsese coming on board for Homebound. I don’t think anyone deserves it more than Neeraj Ghaywan. I am so proud of him. It’s a very special piece of work, and I am very grateful for that.”

Ishaan adds, “I joined Homebound in less than two months after finishing The Royals. I had to lose 10 kilos for the role. After the whole journey of working on these two characters and myself, this is my moment to breathe it all in. I was hoping for wonderful outcomes for both the projects, and it’s happening.”

Actor Anupam Kher’s second directorial in more than two decades, Tanvi The Great, will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May. Anupam shares that he wanted the film’s journey to start from “the Maha Kumbh of cinema”.

“I directed Om Jai Jagadish in 2002, but that was not my story. After that, I didn’t direct any film. I wanted it to come from within me, an Indian film for international viewing. I’ve been waiting to direct another film for 23 years now,” says the 70-year-old.

Anupam adds that he has made the film with a theatrical release in mind: “The film has an Indian character, but it’s a universal film. That’s why I am spending money, taking actors there (Cannes) — it’s a huge kharcha. But I want to put the film on a pedestal. You will not ask Martin Scorcese if his film will release in theatres or OTT! I am not comparing myself to these greats, but when you are making a film with passion, uska jo marzi hashr ho, you make it for the cinemas.”

Ask Anupam, who has worked in international projects such as Silver Linings Playbook (2012), whether Indian films and talent are seen differently now, and he says, “It certainly has changed, but I have not made this film as a crusader. It has an international appeal which is why I signed on internationally known people such as (composer) MM Keeravani and (sound designer) Resul Pookutty, both Oscar winners. My DoP (Keiko Nakahara) is Japanese.”

Filmmaker Karan Johar’s next production Homebound has been officially selected for the 78th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category. Actor Vishal Jethwa, who stars in the film alongside Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor, is over the moon.

“I knew about Cannes, but I am realizing its importance now. I have been getting so many calls and messages, but I don’t know what to feel right now. I am excited to go there, but also very nervous. I don’t know how to process it all,” he says.

The 30-year-old insists that this achievement is a result of his 16 years of hard work. “I started working as a background dancer in 2009. I never got work due to someone’s favour; I always earned it. Maine aur meri mom ne mannatein maangi thi ki mujhe yeh film (Homebound) mil jaaye,” he says, adding that the first person he spoke to about the Cannes feat was his mum: “She started crying, as it has been a long journey for me — from a background dancer to Cannes.”

While he can’t reveal details about the film, Vishal informs that the Neeraj Ghaywan directorial is about friendship. The actor insists that even though he had a great debut with Mardaani 2 (2019), his subsequent works failed to create an impact:

“Those films were critically acclaimed, but they didn’t reach the audience and didn’t do well commercially. Homebound came as another opportunity for me to take my work and personality to more people. It will show the industry that I am not a one-hit wonder; I am here to stay.”